Greece passes same-sex registered partnerships bill
By Will Stroude
Greece has has passed a new human rights bill which allows civil partnership agreements between same-sex couples
193 members of the 300-seat parliament voted on Tuesday night in favour of registered partnerships rights for same-sex couples – something that has existed for heterosexual couple since 2008, the Guardian reports.
The Greek prime minister, Syriza’s Alexis Tsipras, said the bill’s passage had closed a “a circle of embarrassment for the state”.
While a notable step forward for the country’s LGBT community, the legislation will not allow same-sex couples to marry or adopt children, nor will it give them similar pension, tax and health rights, gay and lesbian activists say.
“This is a great moment, not only for the LGBTI community, but also for legal equality in Greece”, Syriza member Vasiliki Katrivanou told parliament.
“But what is worth discussing is… that it took us so long, that it took all these struggles,” she said, adding that the bill should pave the way for full same-sex civil unions, which was her party promised in its pre-election manifesto.
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